Review--Fairest of All by Serena Valentino

The tale of the young princess and her evil stepmother, the Wicked Queen, is widely known. Despite a few variations from telling to telling, the story remains the same—the Queen was jealous of the girl’s beauty, and this jealousy culminated in the Queen’s attempt on the sweet, naive girl’s life.

Another tale far less often spoken of is the one that explains what caused the Queen to become so contemptuously vile. Still, some have attempted to guess at the reason. Perhaps the Queen’s true nature was that of a wicked hag and her beautiful, regal appearance a disguise used to fool the King. Others claim that the Queen might have hated the girl for her resemblance to the King’s first wife. Mostly, the Queen is painted as a morally abhorrent woman who never loved another being during the course of her miserable life.

In fact, the theories about exactly what cause the Queen’s obsessive vanity and jealous rage are too numerous to catalog. This book recounts a version of the story that has remained untold until now. It is a tragic tale of love and loss, and it contains a bit of magic. It is a tale of the Wicked Queen… 

There's a certain magic to a one day read! I was surprised by how quickly I devoured Serena Valentino's Fairest of All, the first in her Disney Villains series! I had previously read The Beast Within a few years ago and enjoyed that and already had the rest of the villains piling up, so I used my day off to give one a go and fell in love all over again!

This is definitely a series for Disney fans who know the movies inside and out, but perhaps, missed a few things. There's definitely an added quality to these well know stories. Fairest of All follows the Wicked Queen of Snow White, back when she was just the Queen. We see her as a young woman who won the heart of the king. She was a very happy woman and loved her new stepdaughter, Snow White as if she were her own.

There were hints to some other villains, really just one in particular. A story of a woman who was hurt so badly by an event, and she had the power to transform in a dragon! It was fun getting little hints to other stories to come! I can't wait to get to Maleficent's story!

We see things start to change when the Queen happens upon a mysterious mirror in her room, a gift from her new husband. It's the last of her father's creations, for he was a mirror maker. Though there's something decidedly strange about the mirror, one that causes the Queen fear. But not nearly as much fear as her husband's mysterious cousins who plan surprise visits while the king is away and terrify both her and her daughter, Snow.  

This was an incredibly fast read for me and I loved that! It's so refreshing to once again be able to read a book in a day. There is definitely a magical quality to these enhanced Disney tales! I am looking forward to reading the rest to learn more about these villains I grew up with and the oddity that is the Odd Sisters.

Though you may know these Disney tales left and right like I do, these villainous stories will change your outlook of the movies we hold dear forever! And I for one, cannot wait to dive into the rest!



Overall Rating 5/5 stars

 

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Ursula smiled another one of her wicked grins. It was the sort that made you certain she was conjuring a plan. And she did indeed have a plan..." p. 41

TITLE: Poor Unfortunate Soul
AUTHOR: Serena Valentino
PUBLISHER: Disney Press
GENRE: Disney Retelling
RELEASE DATE: July 26, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Books On My TBR I’m Avoiding Reading and Why (maybe you’re scared of it, worried it won’t live up to the hype, etc.) (submitted by Caitlin @ Caitlin Althea)

*in no particular order

10. THE CAGE by Megan Shepherd--I think it was because of the so-so reviews I read. But it still sounds like an amazing read to me!

9. LAIR OF DREAMS by Libba Bray--it's size! SO intimidating for me these days!

8. LOW MIDNIGHT by Carrie Vaughn--it just got lost in the TBR pile, I mean I know where it's at, but its priority has dimmed. The time away from the series has me worried about comprehension too.

7. A WICKED THING by Rhiannon Thomas--another one that just got lost in the TBR pile...though I still really want to read it!

6. THE BROKEN GIRLS by Simon St. James--will this be spooky enough?

5. RENEGADES by Marissa Meyer--initially wanted to binge as a duology then it became a trilogy and then time just got away from me and man are they huge!

4. SHADES OF WICKED by Jeaniene Frost--I really don't know why! *sobs*

3. GLASS SWORD by Victoria Aveyard--I had wanted to wait until the series was all done before I binged the rest...now it's a matter of time!

2. THE DARKEST PART OF THE FOREST by Holly Black--worried that it won't be faery enough!

1. THE RETURN by Jennifer L. Armentrout--I've run out of excuses. Time is still an issue though.

 

DNF Review--A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew.

Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she’s ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally.

Well, I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up DNFing L.L. McKinney's A Blade So Black. Everyone I know who read it, ended up DNFing it too. I went into it with an open mind though. I love fairy tale retellings, I love anything close to Buffy, two things that this book spoke high of having. And yet...I just didn't click with this one.

I know my Monday post says I was starting it today, well, since I took today off I decided I would start it last night just to see if I liked it before I spent most of the day reading it. And I got just past the 50 page mark when I just had to quit.

Firstly, the first 30 pages was a pre-prologue and then a prologue. I saw pre-prologue which sounds like an oxymoron, but I get what people were saying about the "time jump." The story starts with Alice being introduced to her first nightmare and Addison Hatta. Then we jump to three months later after Alice has had some training and goes to the Wonderland type place where the Nightmares are created from all the dreaming people. It's her job to stop them from crossing into her world.

Then we jump to one year later. It's a little discombobulating to say the least. I mean, I basically read a 30+ page prologue and I remember when I did a writer's course with an author, she had told us prologues aren't necessary. Start the story where it's meant to begin and if you have to have said prologue, no more than 10 pages. Granted, this doesn't happen all the time with every author, but I kind of get what she meant to tell us as aspiring writers. 30+ pages of information that doesn't matter to the story at large was exhausting. Yet, I still tried giving the book a chance.

But then a few comments on race kept coming up in a conversation and for whatever reason it rubbed me the wrong way. Not to mention the fact that I felt like we were constantly being reminded of the race of every single character we came across at least once a chapter. I felt like more time should have been spent on telling the story instead of focusing on character appearances.

And that was as about as far as I got into the story. I don't think I ever even hit on the plot of what was meant to happen because too much time was spent in the past and then just an average day in Alice's life as she contemplated what she was doing in secret every night. I had so wanted to like this book despite seeing everyone else DNFing it, but it seems I felt victim to the DNFing as well.

I would still recommend this book to other readers should they be fans of Alice in Wonderland, retellings, and of course Buffy! But keep in mind it's a slower pace and you've got about 30+ pages in the beginning that didn't seem to have an effect of the main plot. If you're fine with the slower paced novel then I would say you would have zero issues with this one! Sadly, it just wasn't my cup of tea as I need something a little most faster paced or least build into a quicker pace a little, well, quicker.


No rating, as I don't rate DNF books.

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh (3 stars)

Nightblood by Elly Blake (5 stars)

About to Start Reading:

A Blade So Black by L.L. McKinney

What I Hope to Start this Week: 

A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney (ARC)

Other Posts of Interest:

It's Magic Time: Harry Potter Book Tag 

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays 

Waiting on Wednesday 

Random Thursday 

Book Blogger Hop 

Stacking the Shelves 

Autumn (Book) Tag

Review--Nightblood by Elly Blake

Ruby's world has changed more than she ever could have imagined. She's in love with a powerful Frost King. She's the heir to the Fire Throne. And she may be a Nightblood--the spawn of a vengeful deity hellbent on releasing his wraithlike Minax from their prison. Once freed, these beasts will roam the earth, devouring every last person until he or she is nothing but an empty husk. But Ruby is able to control the Minax to a degree, and now she, her beloved Arcus, and her friend Kai must find a way to bring Frostbloods and Firebloods--sworn enemies--together to make a stand against a foe more deadly than any they've faced.

In this heart-pounding finale of Elly Blake's gorgeously written and action-packed Frostblood Saga, the fate of Frostbloods, Firebloods, and all of humanity is at stake.

Nightblood is Elly Blake's thrilling conclusion to the Frostblood Saga! I started this series what feels like ages ago instead of three years ago when I picked up Frostblood at my first BEA! Now the series draws to a conclusion as Ruby, Arcus, Kai and their friends will have to defeat the Eurus, the powerful and evil god.

Things for Ruby have been rough ever since she is housing the Minax from the throne she had to destroy. It's a daily battle trying to keep the thing in check, Ruby almost feels like she's losing herself to the darkness residing inside her. Then there's the fact that Eurus, her father and a god who's completely evil is about to let loose a slew of Minax on the world and these monster like creatures would possess everyone in the world and there would no longer be freewill. So Ruby and her friends have a lot to fight for.

But with any final book, there still comes a whole mess of problems and conflicts that the characters need to overcome. Even conflicts among each other. While the matter of the love triangle between Ruby, Kai, and Arcus had been resolved, Ruby made her choice very clear, Kai isn't ready to give her up without a fight. Despite a few moments here and there, I was kind of glad that there was no continued battle for Ruby's heart. Kai is just being overly flirty Kai.

I had forgotten how much I loved Ruby and Arcus together! The romance between them was just so sweet. It's been too long for me to remember their first encounter, though I do know it wasn't a love at first sight kind of deal and honestly those are the best kind! I love when the romance takes time to build and if there's a bit of animosity between them at first, it's all the better! Lol.

Ruby is dealing with a lot when it comes to the Minax inside her and to say that its messing up her life is a bit of an understatement. It was a little dark at times seeing Ruby being overtaken by this force that they have yet to figure out how to overcome. 

The book is well-paced! I was eating up the pages, I had set a low goal for myself each day because I didn't think I'd be able to manage much more than that. Imagine my surprise that I pretty much doubled my goal each day! The words were just flowing off the page and I was eating them up! It was an incredibly amazing read! One of the things I love about fantasy so much is the magic! The magic within the world I'm reading about and the literal magic of the reading experience!

The ending itself was very ideal! Elly took me by surprise three-quarters (or so) of the way through, but like Ruby, I'm stubborn through and through. In the end, it really was the perfect kind of ending and I couldn't have been happier about it! I cannot wait to read Elly's next book! She's definitely an author I will be following from here on out! If you're a fan of fantasy and magic relating to the elements, I highly recommend this one! It has all the right fantasy elements, plus the action, humor, and romance a reader could want! It's pretty much a perfect read and it's most definitely a GREAT read!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Autumn (Book) Tag

So I saw this tag last week on twitter...I forgot who I initially saw it from but it was a fun Autumn Tag that--I believe--was created by Jenn at Jenniely. I've borrowed all the images from her blog post, as they fit the prompts perfectly, obviously! Lol.

Hot Chocolate – what is your comfort book?

I don't really have that go-to comfort book as I'm always reaching for the next book on my TBR pile. I guess I can always say that my beloved Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater Rhodes is a comfort book being it was my first vampire book!

Pumpkin Carving – what is your favourite creative outlet?

Well, I really need to get back to writing as that was one of my passions but somewhere down the line I stopped writing for a few years. I still constantly think about my book and what needs working on. I need to tweak what I think needs tweaking and just try submitting again!

Falling Leaves – changes that appear bad but you secretly love?

Hmm...that's tough. I'm trying to keep this tag book related, hence my add on to its title! I guess the hate-to love relationship foundation. I love when couples start antagonistic and then somewhere along the line things change!

Pumpkin Spiced Latte – something you love that others tend to judge

VAMPIRE BOOKS! I've always loved reading about vampires wayyyyyyyyyy before Twilight when everyone else finally jumped on the bandwagon. And then the craze died and everyone else moved onto something else to craze about! I still loved my vampires but finding fresh reads with them was impossible! I will always love vampires best! 

Bonfire Night – what makes you explode with joy?

BOOKS! Seriously, books make me so freaking giddy! I love having new reads, I don't love not having all the time to read them, or not having the space for all of them, but I LOVE books! Finding a story with a booklover in it is really amazing too! I love having that happen and to have it happen in a paranormal book makes it all the more magical!

Fright Night – favourite scary book or film

Danielle Vega/Rollins and Dawn Kurtagich come to mind! I still have a few of their books in my TBR pile to read but I've loved their previous books that were quite spooky! I'm also seriously eyeballing is Rules for Vanishing when it releases later this month!

Halloween candy – favourite thing to eat

Okay, non bookish entirely, but my favorite candy will forever and always be Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

Scarves – your autumn ‘must have’ accessory

I mean besides books? Let's go with Halloween themed book sleeves! I've a few that are spookily decorated that are perfect for this time of year!

Fire – a book or film that burns your soul

Assuming we're meaning "burning" to be a good thing, I'll go with Old Magic by Marianne Curley. Another oldie but incredible goodie! It was my first time reading a book with a seemingly ordinary girl on the outside but was really a witch--and she knew it too, but kept it a secret. It involved time traveling, a curse, a hot guy all set in Australia! Though not so much when they go back in time, but I digress! I adore that book and always think of it when it comes to these kinds of tags/posts!

Toffee apples – a book or film that seems one thing but really has a different inside

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause!! Oh my gosh, it's possibly the best YA werewolf romance story ever! Don't see the movie, because it's not worth it! I feel like this one wasn't typical of your basic YA paranormal love story and I think that's partly why I adored it as a teenager! And this was wayyyy before we had an established YA Paranormal genre!

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


Another mundane week. Nothing good. Nothing bad. Still waiting to hear back from that one company I applied to through the staffing agency I applied to. It always irks me that these companies are saying they need someone yet they take forever to give you any kind of answer right away or at all! Ugh.

It was also a pretty quiet week for books, but of course I didn't come out empty handed...

This beauty arrived after I rescued it from the post office, I forget what UK companies require signatures, Waterstones is definitely one of them! Lol

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo--Collectors Edition from Waterstones!

Then I won a SIGNED paperback from Julie C. Dao!

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao--SIGNED!

THANK YOU Julie!

And then as you might have saw on Instagram, I did a bit of shopping...

 A pack of stars and balloon confetti which I then painstakingly split into separate groups, as I wanted to do something with stars. I bought some last week at Michaels, but they're more sequin and have an annoying little hole in the middle. Not sure how those will photograph, so I thought I'd spend the $1 on a multi pack and just divide them myself! Didn't go as far as separating the colors though! Lol.

 Target was slooooowly putting out some Halloween stuff and a few rounds in the dollar section landed me 4 new bags of erasers...my stash was nowhere near dwindling, but you gotta love a fresh new stock of designs! Then it turned out they were HALF OFF!! I didn't see any signs but I wasn't objecting!! $4s worth turned into $2!

Then I went to the actual Dollar Store to scope out their Halloween stuff (and found that confetti, lol!) and saw this adorable puzzle and HAD to buy it! Then of course I assembled it and thought...that would look really good pasted together and maybe put on a board or something to then put on my bookcase! 

Yesterday was a pretty productive day! I almost made my bookmark I've been meaning to do for months, but discovered our hole puncher was missing so that's a project for yet another day...again.

That's it for me! What did you all get this week?

 

Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

 

This week's question is: What would you give as a birthday gift to a fellow book lover? {FYI - My birthday is tomorrow!} (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

 

 

 

MY ANSWER: I'd strived to get them a signed book from a favorite author! If it was at all possible of course! If it could be personalized, I'd do that! But would settle for signature if that was all I could get on short notice.

 

Otherwise, I'd try to get them whatever new release that's out that they want and might not buy right away...or I'd try to find something unique and bookish for them from one of the many, many shops that are online!